Ziti with Eggplant and Ricotta

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We tell you step by step how to make great red sauce from scratch, using canned plum tomatoes and a few basic ingredients. If preparing this dish ahead, roast eggplant and make sauce, and refrigerate separately. When ready to bake, cook pasta and assemble; add about 10 minutes to the baking time to compensate for the chilled ingredients.

Total Time:
1:00

Cook:
0:50

Level:
Moderate

Yield:
6

Serves:
6

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant

3 tbsp. olive oil

0.75 tsp. Salt

1 small onion

2 clove garlic

1 can plum tomatoes in juice

2 tbsp. tomato paste

0.25 tsp. ground black pepper

3 tbsp. fresh basil leaves

1 package ziti or penne pasta

0.25 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 c. ricotta cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In large bowl, toss eggplant, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until evenly coated. Arrange eggplant in single layer in two 15 1/2- by 10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pans or 2 large cookie sheets. Place pans with eggplant on 2 oven racks in oven. Roast eggplant 30 minutes, rotating pans between upper and lower racks halfway through cooking and stirring twice, or until eggplant is tender and golden. Remove pans with eggplant from oven; set aside. Turn oven control to 400 degrees F.

Stir in tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Stir in 2 tablespoons basil.

In large saucepot, prepare pasta in boiling salted water as label directs. Drain; return pasta to saucepot.

5. To pasta in saucepot, add roasted eggplant, tomato sauce, and Parmesan cheese; toss until evenly mixed. Spoon mixture into six 2-cup gratin dishes or shallow casseroles; top with dollops of ricotta cheese.

6. Cover casseroles with foil and bake 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. To serve, sprinkle tops with remaining 1 tablespoon basil.